Steve and Ellen's Adventures

Chapter 9 25 july 2015
We are staying in Ninilichik, just north of Homer, which is the end of the road on the Kenai peninsula. We arrived a little early and are having some down time. Taking day trips around the area and looking for birds from here to Homer. We've eaten out at the local restaurant (one) and the camp host told us of Freddies, up the road apiece. So one afternoon we thought we'd give it a try. About 3 miles up the road, the asphalt ends and gravel begins. Now we follow it about 4 or 5 miles and there are only half a dozen shacks or camps along the road. I said " If Freddie's is any farther, he won't have enough business or selection of food so I think we should turn around". Which we did and went back to restaurant #1. The next day, after lunch, we decided to go birding up the same road and maybe go to the end. This time it was a pleasure trip and after 12 miles, there gets to be a few more camps and a livable house now and then. At mile 13 from camp, on the top of a high hill, we come to a small settlement with lots of new houses, solar panels and all with a view of the mountains and bay. And what do we find, Freddie's, serving BBQ, hamburgers and such. How someone expects to make a living out there in the wilds is beyond me but Freddie is giving it a try. About another mile and the road did end in a large circular space with 4 or 5 driveways off to other houses or someplace.

I will backup here and talk a little more about Soldotna. To clarify the part on dip netting for salmon, the resident head of household has a limit of 25 salmon and each additional member has a limit of 10 salmon each. So a family of 4 can catch a total of 55 for the year. The season is only 2 weeks and only on the Kenai river near Kenai and Soldotna. That was why so many Alaskans from Anchorage and the surrounding area were in town.
While visiting Kenai, we met the head of the Audubon birding club and he gave us maps and directions to many sites to see birds in the area and down the road to Homer. He said that a naturalist may be on board our ship on the ride out to Dutch Harbor.
Wednesday we day tripped it down to Homer to find out what we could on our trip and what to bring and where to park and so forth. We stopped at the Wildlife refuge for other info and happened to mention our boat ride and asked about the naturalist. The lady said the naturalist no longer went on the trip but he had made up an itinerary, which she gave us and said "Doug now works here but this is his day off." "He will be in Thursday and Friday." So we ate at Cap'n Pattie's and watched a few birds on the bay. Friday, back we go to Homer to talk with Doug. He was a wealth of information and said if we didn't take the tour with "Bobbie" at Dutch Harbor we would miss a lot since she took people to places they couldn't get to go because she was a native and some places were off limits except to natives and, she was a birder too. So we made our reservations with her and are looking forward to the trip.
The other interesting thing that happened that day was while we were walking down to a restaurant in old Homer, a man was showing this animal hide to a woman and teenager. We said something like, "look at that". He immediately says, "Would you like to buy a musk ox rug." From there the conversation went from where he got it to what was he going to do with it. Apparently, a friend wanted to get rid of it and gave it to him and he was showing it to his wife and son, when we walked by. A musk ox rug would be a conversation piece but I'm not sure we needed it at our place.

I added some captions, if you can think of a more appropriate one, leave your comment.
I hope to have a lot to write and pictures, when we return from the Aleutian Islands. We leave Tuesday the 28th.
So as "Arnold of the Terminator" says, "I'll Be Back.
Steve